This photograph is kindly provided by Stuart
Jackson and shows NFB88 in rundown condition at Katherine on 16 August 2003.

NFB 88 was originally South Australian
Railways locomotive Y 135. It was built by James Martin & Co, Gawler
(Builder's Number 37 of 1892) to the highly successful Beyer Peacock & Co
"Y-class" 2-6-0 design for passenger and good service on the South
Australian Railways expanding network of narrow-gauge lines. Y 135
was rebuilt with a higher-pitch Belpaire boiler in 1919, becoming Yx 135.

World War 2 brought a huge increase in traffic on the
North Australia Railway, which was operated by the Commonwealth Railways
and ran south from Darwin. Eighteen Y-class locomotives were
transferred from the South Australian Railways to the Commonwealth
Railways to meet the increased traffic demand. Yx 135 was transferred in
October 1943, becoming NFB 88 in the Commonwealth Railways fleet. a

Many of the North Australia Railway locomotive fleet were stored at Katherine as
traffic reduced after World War 2 and diesel locomotives replaced the remaining
steam fleet. Almost all the derelict steam locomotives at Katherine were
scrapped around 1964 but somehow NFB 88 survived. It was later placed on
displayed at the old railway station at Katherine, together with 2 flat wagons,
all apparently sitting rail-less on the ground. b

Photos show that, as preserved, NFB 88 has a large oil tank fitted in the tender. It
seems NFB 88 was converted to oil burning at some stage, most likely as a
wartime expedient to make it more suitable for use on the North
Australia Railway, which was far from any coal mines. c